Remember the requalification bonus?
 

Well, I finally received my 1999 1k stuff. No changes really. (So they say) If I remember, I received a 40,000 mile bonus last year for making 1k AND a 40,000 mile "discount" certificate for a two person award. I am not a math wiz, but it seems to me by eliminating the re-qualification bonus, and eliminating the mileage discount, and eliminating the 2 person award, somehow I lose about 100,000 miles.

how much do they offer for the survey on paper: last year it was 2'000 miles for 1K. This year? (online it is for any Prem 2'000 miles this year)

yes, we loose (compared to 97).

But in all fairness to UA, it is less than the 100'000 miles for 98 (if you have only one partner-award-round-trip per year, it is more if you have, as I had, several such partner-award-tickets in one year). You did cumulate the 97-loss - with 98.

We (1K) loose:
*the 40'000 one-time rebate voucher for partner-awards (in comparison to 98)
*the 35'000/45'000 etc. bonus (in comparison with 97), this one was for one year only "replaced" by the above rebate-voucher
*the partner-award-possibilities: per transatlantic 1st-class-rountrip = 40'000 miles (ending april-30-99).

We did win (first time in 98):
*Status miles on StarAlliance-partners (for me starting 99 this means, that I will reach 1K at least twice as fast as before; and by that I will make it Senator as well with LH - without flying more than the years before).

Also received my 1K credentials today. I am positively underwhelmed by them: we have lost quite a bit over the past few years - the treshold bonuses, the two-passenger awards, the two-passenger awards discount coupons.

We did get lots of free drink/head set coupons - which you don't need if you fly F or C class anyway...

Top level elite flyers from oneworld get access to First Class lounges whenever they fly. We have to make do with the overcrowded Red Carpet clubs and the like (except of course when we as US-based 1K's fly within the US. Then you don't get anything!)

And where are the 1K check-in desks? In many airports we just have to line up with Premiers and Premier Execs - it still takes forever to check in.

No, 1K is really not all that. Of course there are some advantages, but don't you think we deserve them for our loyalty?